Cannon-pinion for watches.



No. 806,964. PATLNTLD DLG. 12,1905. L. A. FALLER.

CANNON PININ FOR WATCHES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY zo, 190s.

LEWIS ALBERT FALLER, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

CANNON-PINION FOR WATCHES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application led July 20, 1903. Serial No. 166,386.

To @ZZ whom/.it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS ALBERT FALLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee,have invented a new and useful Gannon-Pinion for Watches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved construction of cannon-pinion for watches, the object being to provide a pinion which can be quickly and easily placed upon or removed from the center-post; and another object is to provide a cannon-pinion in which the friction upon the center-post is regulated entirely by the size of the hole in the minute-hand of the watch; and a still further object is to provide a cannon-pinion which can be arranged or removed without the aid of any special tools or appliance.

With these objects in view the invention consists, essentially, in reducing the tubular portion of the cannon-pinion upon the exterior, splitting said reduced portion longitudinally, and providing` an annular seat upon the interior of the reduced tubular portion adjacent the outer end, said annular seat being adapted to receive the shoulder formed upon the outer end of the center-post, the tubular portion of the cannon-pinion being surrounded by a sleeve which snugly tits the inner end of the tubular portion of the cannon-pinion.

The invention consists also in certain details of construction and novelties of combination hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specication, Figure 1 is an elevation showing the cannon-pinion constructed in accordance with my invention arranged upon the center-post of a watch-movement, the upper portion of the sleeve and the end of the minute-hand being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the pinion, sleeve, and end of minute-hand, the outer end of the center-post being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the pinion and sleeve attached to the tubular portion of the frame. Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the outer end of the center-post. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the position the parts assume when placing the pinion upon the centerpost, and Fig. 6 is a top plan view showing a portion of the inner end of the minute-hand and the upper ends of the center-post and tubular portion of the pinion.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the center-post of a watch-movement, which is formed by the shoulder A', the outer end of the post A2 beyond the shoulder being gradually tapered toward the end, which terminates in a beveled or undercut shoulder A3.

The pinion Bis formed with the tubular portion C, the pinion resting upon the shoulder A, while the tubular portion surrounds the reduced and tapered end of the centerpost to the end. The tubular portion C is reduced or cut away upon the exterior for the greater portion of its length, as shown at C', and this reduced portion is split longitudinally at diametrically opposite points, as shown at (J2, and at the outer end of the reduced portion and upon the interior an annular seat G3 is formed, said seat being' adapted to receive the shouldered end of the center-post. The tubular portion C is surrounded by a sleeve D, which snugly lits upon the inner end of the tubular portion and rests upon the body of the pinion, the upper end of the sleeve eX- tending nearly, but not quite, to the upper end of the tubular portion of the pinion.

The minute-hand E is arranged upon the outer or upper end of the reduced portion of the pinion, and when the minute-hand is so arranged it presses the split reduced end of the tubular portion of the pinion into engagement with the center-post, and the frictional Contact between the pinion and center-post is dependent entirely upon the size of the opening of the minute-hand, and it is obvious that by increasing or decreasing the size of this opening the friction between the pinion and center-post can be regulated to a nicety. The surrounding sleeve is of uniform diameter throughout its entire length and forms an accurate bearing for the hour-wheel. The upper end of the sleeve acts as a rest or support for the minute-hand.

A pinion constructed as herein shown and described is simpler than most of the cannolipinions now in use and also less expensive to manufacture." The chief points of advantage, however, are that this pinion can be quickly and easily attached to and detached from the center-post without the aid of any speciallyconstructed tool and that thefriction between the pinion and center-post is governed entirely by the size of the opening of the minute-hand, which is litted upon the outer end of the tubular portion of the pinion, and inasmuch as the outer' end of the tubular portion is contracted slightly the surrounding` sleeve is employed for the purpose of providing an accurate bearing for the hand- Wheel. A great deal of time and labor can be saved by the employment of a cannon-pinion constructed in accordance with my invention.

lf desired,the sleeve D may be made slightly tapered.

Having' thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device of the kind described comprising` a center-post, a pinion having a tubular portion longitudinally split, a sleeve surrounding the tubular portion and terminating short of the split end of the tubular portion,

and a minute-hand adapted to` rest on the end or' the sleeve and compress the split end of the sleeve.

2. A cannon-pinion for watches comprising a center-post having an undercut shoulder at its upper end, a pinion having a tubular portion longitudinally split adjacent its upper end and having a seat formed at its upper end adapted to engage the undercut shoulder, a sleeve surrounding the said tubular portion the contacting faces of the sleeve and tubular portion being smooth, and a minute-hand adapted to rest on the sleeve and force the seat of the tubular portion into engagement with the shoulder of the center-post.

LEWIS ALBERT FALLER.

Witnesses:

JAS. B. CARR, H. P. NORMAN. 

